Archive for the ‘Look good!’ category

My sorority used to award a ginormous bra…you know one of the ones with perhaps a Z cup, which the proud or humiliated recipient would be expected to hang from her door knob until another week, another party or two and yet another unsuspecting collegiate would be able to collect the…pardon the pun….the booby prize.

Really?

It appears that the summer of 2013 is the summer of the side-boob. What is a side-boob you ask? Something one sees at the big box super store known for its fashion faux sightings or at the beach or at the pool? This question has even been asked on Facebook this week by women old enough to have passed the half- century mark and no, the side-boob of 2013, is not caused by ill-fitting brassieres! Our mothers were wrong!

Side-boob showings are all the rage with young celebrities everywhere and in fact, have been a hot topic, so hot that even The Huffington Post has entered into the commentary and publishing the photo-documentary evidence of the side-boob trend.

According to the Urban Dictionary, the definition of side-boob is as follows: “A view of the female breast seen from a side; generally under loosely-fitting clothes. Very titillating and sexual without showing any overt nudity.”

What happened to less is more? How long will it take this fashion statement to reach the mass clothing market and reach young girls who learn to exploit their bodies or worse…to reach the market of women trying to dress like their daughters, which are always the women who should never be doing so in the first place?

At fifty, I am old enough to remember my mother’s efforts in social and political reform. I remember having to wear a dress or a skirt to school each day and as a student who walked to school, that meant no snow pants or anything to cover your legs, while you walked to and from school or at recess, unless of course, you were a male student. By 1968, the mothers of the female students who entered my elementary school in my kindergarten class were leading the charge on equal opportunity dressing. As I recall the story, the principal would hear nothing of a change in dress code. Eventually, those young vocal mothers were able to get a policy which allowed pants on the way to school and at recess, under our dresses, until we got a new, young principal who allowed girls to wear pants in school the year I was in third grade.

There are fashion icons, who never aspire to boobyliciousness. Consider three recent first ladies, not in chronological order.

The ever classic Laura Bush. Tex-Mex never had such a lovely hostess and she is just the classic example of always put together, just right.

Or Michelle Obama. A woman of my own fashion stream of consciousness. J Crew and Anthropologie with high end sale rack pieces and some vintage and it all just works.

Or Hillary Clinton, who at the June 2013 CFDA Awards joking made remarks about herself as a fashion icon and pondered whether there could be a fashion reality show inspired by her fashion sense, entitled, “Project Pantsuit.” Her love for the fashions of Oscar de la Renta is well known, as he designed to flatter, and created inaugural, ball and wedding gowns for her and daughter Chelsea.

Speaking of first ladies, those of us who have seen their Inaugural Dresses exhibited in The Smithsonian Museum experienced a first-hand visual at Scarlett O’Hara’s 18 inch waist and the contraptions women submitted themselves to in order to become a vision of physical perfection. Whether it be foot binding or corsets or boob jobs…young women who seemingly have had boob jobs and who become the vision our young girls aspire to emulate in order to seek validation in today’s society…I am so glad my mother is not here to see this, as I know she would have something to say about it.

There is a reason why fashion icons such as Jackie Kennedy and Grace Kelley made legions of men salivate…they left lots to the imagination. Even Marilyn Monroe did so, with all of her smoldering sex appeal.

Young women, in my opinion need to learn to keep it a secret….do you wear matchy matchy perfection or are you laissez-faire? And for heaven’s sake, not everyone needs to know!

Jane Creveling DeVoe is an educator, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, God-Mother, friend and self-proclaimed foodie. She relies on Sueanne Shirzay to keep her in line, advise her on the latest fashion and jewelry trends and to just generally be the sister she never had, thus telling her when she is wrong when she least wants to hear it and allowing Sueanne to be her biggest fan when it is deserved.

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I was fortunate enough to nab the very creative Editor-in-Chief from KentonMagazine.com, Alexander Liang and their Fashion Director, the ever-so-chic Mia Tucker-Williams right after fashion week at the end of February and grill them on what’s hot and what belongs in the fashion dumpster for Spring-Winter 2012.

SOMEBODY has been neglecting their blog. Apologies… building a Killer Social Media and Jewelry Empire (delicately coughs) has taken my attention away but I’m BACK and kicking off with another fun Pinterest Jewelry contest. Here are the rules:

As you may know, I love designing colorful jewelry for colorful women all over the world.

2. FOLLOW all of my boards by clicking “FOLLOW” next to my avatar. (Please follow all boards not just the jewelry board. This can be done by clicking FOLLOW next to my avatar)

3. Go to my “Jewelry” board and WRITE “I’m colorful because …” and answer after the dot dot dot in the comment section of any piece of jewelry there. Tell me what makes you… YOU. Have fun with it. : )

4. REPIN that piece to one of your own boards.

So FOLLOW, WRITE. REPIN.

The most Colorful Answer wins a $75 Gift Certificate to Sueanne Shirzay Jewelry.You may enter as many times as you like but there must be one repin for every entry.

The winner will be announced Friday at 5:00 EST, Here and on Pinterest, just in time to give it as a gift to yourself, a friend or your Mom for Mother’s Day if you are so inclined. But don’t worry, you do not need to be a Mom or even a GIRL to enter, this is just for fun.

What’s that you say? You do not have a Pinterest account?

I would be happy to email you an invitation to Pinterest, as many as they let me. Just email me with the header NEED PINTEREST INVITE or something like that at sueanneshirzay3@gmail.com before Friday May 11th and I will hook you up.

This year I chose to watch the E! Network coverage from the comfort of my beachside East Coast couch complete with pink champagne and for some reason, hummus. Hey, that’s just what I felt like eating. Don’t judge.

Before I was treated to the spectacular parade of gowns I was forced to endure what seemed to be an unusually long and detailed camera shot of P. Diddy being meticulously lint rolled by his valet. Did I really need to see that? No. No, I did not.

I don’t waste time talking about who was badly dressed, so let’s just skip right ahead to the good stuff. As usual, there were too many beautiful creations to list, and I don’t necessarily agree with what the experts say were the best gowns. I like different, unique, unpredictable. Most importantly, I like to pick the gowns that really seem to suit the person wearing them, fit well and are gorgeous.

Missi Pyle in Valentina Delfino

“The Artist” star Missi Pyle made her delicious green literally and figuratively eco-friendly fashion mark in the official Red Carpet Green contest-winning dress. It was designed by Valentina Delfino, and was made of recycled polyester and silk from cruelty-free silkworms. She’s 5’11” barefoot, but this dress suits her so well you would never really know it from viewing pictures.(Jason Merritt, Getty Images)

Judy Greer

Judy Greer’s insanely gorgeous liquid metal Monique Lhuillier gown also suited her perfectly. What redhead wouldn’t look super sexy in this slinky curvy silhouette, complete with art deco diamonds and a metallic clutch. I’m just a sucker for Art Deco and that less is more look. (Harper’s Bazaar, Brasil)

Oh. About the “bust about to bust”. Can someone please explain to me why a mega-star like Jennifer Lopez was unable to find a dress that wasn’t a nip-slip waiting to happen. Some are saying it did. For heaven’s sake, USE THE TAPE. Dress tape. Use more of it, use it correctly, or hey… here’s an idea, just get a dress that fits. I throw up my hands on this one.

Shall I digress and talk about Sacha Baron Cohen’s ash throwing shenanigans? I think my tweet sums it up just fine. Ryan Seacrest certainly held his composure. I would have thrown that urn and Mr. Cohen into the closest third world country I could find.

We’ve all been there – sitting on a beach in a cover-up or a t-shirt so that no one could see what we look like in a bathing suit. But whoever though that a baggy t-shirt or beach towel made great attire for a photo on the beach? No matter what your shape or size, you CAN take great photos of yourself in a bathing suit. All it takes is a few subtle techniques to show of your best features.

1. Choose a Flattering Bathing Suit – This may seem like a no-brainer, but many women fall into the trap of picking bathing suits that aren’t right for their bodies. Just because you’re not wearing a bikini doesn’t mean that you don’t look sexy! One-piece and tankini suits in solid colors or subtle prints are much more flattering. Look for cute details that accent the features you like and cover up the ones you don’t. If you want to nip in your waist, look for a suit that has ruching around the middle. If you want to cover your thighs, you can get a cute retro-style suit with a low cut that hugs your hips.

2. 45 Degree Angle – This is an easy posing trick that will instantly make you look slimmer. Simply turn your body to a 45 degree angle while keeping your head forward. You might also try turning just your shoulders or your hips for a different look. This trick never fails!

3. Show Off Your Favorite Feature – If you want to get creative with posing, choose poses that shows off your favorite features. If you love your arms, you could put one or both on your hips or behind your head. If your legs are your favorite feature, you could extend them out in front of you and take a photo from the side. You can even play with your hair and let it blow in the beach breeze.

4. Act Natural – While posing can make a picture more fun and interesting, it can look a bit gimmicky if you do too much posing. Try to act natural and pose in ways that feel comfortable to you. Goofy or sensuous expressions can be great as well, as long as they go along with your personality. Don’t be afraid to have a friend or family member snap candid shots of you as well – as long as they have good intentions of making you look great. It’s likely that your beauty will shine through best when you’re being yourself.

5. Be Confident – This is by far the most important tip when it comes to taking great photos, no matter what you’re wearing. If you feel good about yourself and enjoy the moment, you’ll have great pictures. Remember, you don’t have to be a supermodel to look sexy. Even Marilyn Monroe had curves, so feel proud and show them off!

There are more interviews to come, with John Li, Senior VP of Research and Development, AKA the guy who decides what goes on the menu after making it deliciously awesome, and Becky Maree and Dan Holm of the Outback Social Media team. There will also be more video of my experience on the field. I even… got to interview the fella responsible for inventing the bloomin’ onion. I KNOW!!! Wow, HUH? Stay tuned for that.

But first, here is an inside look at the morning before the game with my co-Social Journo, and Man of Style, Joshua Estrin. I must say he was an absolute treasure to work and play with. I’m still breaking into embarrassingly random and sudden giggle fits.

Oh, and the reason my shoulder looks dislocated is because I’m actually holding up my iPhone video camera with my right arm. I actually have really good posture. LOL

When Joshua Estrin is NOT attending major sporting events with me he can be found at PopMuncher, writing about the world where entertainment, music, fashion and human behavior collide — He revels in the results, a delicious mix of chaos and mayhem. Wrap this all up in a “look ma’ no braces” package and the “Little Engine that never shoulda’, coulda’, or woulda’” has formed strong friendships with a veritable Who’s Who of celebrities.

It’s 6 AM, I’m awake as usual, and it’s raining in Tampa. Me and my perfectly coiffed *eyeroll* hair will be at the Raymond James Stadium by 10. I’m excited to be covering the game, having been shown a great experience by Outback for 5 days previous to this including an insight to their business philosophy (disclaimer: I already knew their business philosophy) a tour and massive tasting at their R&D kitchen, a player event, a beach event, parade and a really great party. Not to mention fabulous food, weather and hospitality from their Social Media team all week.

There will be apprx. 3 more blog posts covering details with pictures and video.

Had an interesting direct message in my twitter box last night. Why does that sound dirty? LOL

A follower on twitter didn’t quite understand what I was doing at Outback Bowl.

For those of you who are confused, I’m happy to clarify.

( By the way, the game starts at 1:00 EST on ABC. The person who tweets me why they love Outback by 2:00 EST with the best answer will get a free $45 Outback GC! Use the #OutbackBowl hashtag and tweet it to @SueanneShirzay. )

Outback knows what their customers want and they do it. If they don’t know, they find out. If they do it wrong, they fix it. I’ll explain this in detail in future posts.